SANDAG considers more moderate I-5 expansion

San Diego  The San Diego Association of Government’s board of directors will consider a letter Friday morning to the state Department of Transportation supporting a limited and phased-in expansion of Interstate 5, from Del Mar to Oceanside.

While brief, SANDAG’s opinion carries weight. Half of the multi-billion dollar cost of this project would be funded by the local TransNet tax assessment, which is administered through SANDAG.

The 9 a.m. meeting is broadcast live over the internet and is open to the public at 401 B Street, Downtown.

Caltrans is currently reviewing five possible alternatives for expanding I-5, from doing nothing to turning it into a 14 lane highway which would include a separated, four-lane freeway within a freeway that could be used by express buses, commuter pools and drivers with deep pockets, willing to pay their way to work.

At its Nov. 5 meeting, board members asked SANDAG staff to draw up a letter calling for the phased in development of a 12-lane highway, which would retain the inner-freeway but would require far less taking of private land and homes along the corridor.

The letter states that the board of directors supports the 8+4 option for the highway and encourages Caltrans to “minimize right-of-way impacts to adjacent properties to the corridor. The letter backs a gradual introduction of the so-called “high occupancy lanes,” starting with two in the center (one in each direction) and expanding only if necessary.

SANDAG also suggests that the design “minimize and mitigate visual, noise and air quality impacts as well as effects on the corridor’s coastal lagoons.”

Caltrans has set a Nov. 22 deadline for all comments from the public and government agencies on the I-5 corridor expansion. It will be nearly a year before Caltrans settles on a preferred expansion option, after processing and addressing the many thousands of responses to the current proposal.